1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a drag mechanism of a dual bearing reel. More particularly, the present invention relates to a drag mechanism of a dual bearing reel in which the braking force applied to the rotation of a spool in the line releasing direction changes, the spool is mounted on a spool shaft so as to be immovable in the axial direction and relatively rotatable, and the spool shaft is supported on a reel unit of the dual bearing reel so as to be immovable in the axial direction but relative unrotatable.
2. Background Information
Lever drag type dual bearing reels that move the spool shaft in the axial direction with a lever shaped drag operation member to brake the spool are generally known as dual bearing reels. Such dual bearing reel includes a reel unit having a pair of side plates and side covers, a spool shaft that is supported on the reel unit so as to be movable in the axial direction, a spool that is rotatively supported on the spool shaft, a drag mechanism that brakes the spool, and a rotation transmission mechanism that rotates the spool when a handle is rotated.
The spool is movable in the axial direction together with the spool shaft. The spool has a bobbin for winding fishing line around the outer periphery thereof, and flange portions which are arranged on both ends of the bobbin and project radially outward.
The drag mechanism includes a first brake member arranged on an outer side surface of one flange portion of the spool, a second brake member that can be pressed into contact with the first brake member, and a spool shaft movement mechanism that moves the spool shaft in the axial direction. The second brake member is rotatively supported on the spool shaft, and the rotation from the handle is transmitted to the second brake member via the rotation transmission mechanism.
The spool shaft movement mechanism has a lever shaped drag operation member that is pivotably supported on the reel unit, a cap shaped drag adjustment member that is fixedly coupled to one end of the spool shaft, and a cam member that is disposed between the drag operation member and the drag adjustment member and is non-rotatably mounted on the reel unit. Slant cams are formed on the cam member, and by pivoting the drag operation member, the drag operation member will raise the slant cams, and the cam member will press the drag adjustment member to move the spool shaft in one axial direction. Movement to the other axial direction of the spool shaft is carried out through the urging force of a spring member that is disposed, for example, between the first brake member and the second brake member.
With this type of dual bearing reel, the drive force due to the rotation of the handle is transmitted to the first brake member of the drag mechanism via the rotation transmission mechanism, and transmitted to the spool by pressing the first brake member and the second brake member into contact with each other. With this type of configuration, adjustment of the drag mechanism braking force is carried out by pivoting in one direction the drag operation member mounted on one end of the spool shaft. When the drag operation member is pivoted in one direction, the spool shaft will move in one of the axial directions through the cam member, which brings the spool closer to the drag mechanism. Accordingly, the first brake member is pressed into contact with the second brake member. With this type of dual bearing reel, the drag mechanism braking force will be adjusted by operating the drag operation member. Also, by operating the drag operation member, the first brake member and second brake member will move away from each other and place the spool in the free rotation state.
With a dual bearing reel having this type of drag mechanism, the cam member is non-rotatably mounted on the reel unit, and the drag adjustment member is mounted on the spool shaft so as to be rotatable and able to press the cam member. Japanese patent application publication No. 63-167730 shows an example of such structure. During the assembly of the drag mechanism in this dual bearing reel, the drag operation member will be rotatably mounted on the reel unit, and the cam member will be non-rotatably mounted on the reel unit. Next, the drag adjustment member will be screwed onto the tip of the spool shaft, so as to press the cam member.
In the drag mechanism of the aforementioned conventional dual bearing reel, in order to change the braking characteristics of with respect to the operational position of the drag operation member, one must consider replace the cam member with another cam member having a different slant angle. In order to replace the cam member with another cam member having a different slant angle, the drag adjustment member must first be removed from the spool shaft, and then the cam member must be removed. The task of removing the cam member may be quite time-consuming, and attaching and removing the cam member may be difficult.
In view of the above, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art from this disclosure that there exists a need for an improved drag mechanism for a dual bearing reel that overcomes the problems of the conventional art. This invention addresses this need in the art as well as other needs, which will become apparent to those skilled in the art from this disclosure.